Guitar Price Page

Custom Artwork Prices

Producing original, interesting and quality artwork is the only priority here. The more challenging and intricate that work is the better. So if you’re looking for mass produced stenciled skull graphics, then apologies, but that’s not really the kind of work I do.

Graphics and Artwork

Like most professional artists I am very particular about the quality of the work I turn out. Quite simply, if it’s not right it won’t be leaving the paint shop.

Likewise when working on guitars – only the very best finish will do. Because of this, all the lacquering and finishing on my guitars is done here by me, by hand, and has to be as near flawless as possible before that guitar is dispatched back to it’s owner.

Okay, so why does any custom artwork generally seem so expensive?

One of the first considerations when looking at getting any custom paintwork done, is usually the expense. Think custom ‘anything’ and it’s almost inevitably synonymous with expensive. True, a custom paint job is going to cost more than a straight forward single colour respray, simply because of all that’s involved in the process. But break it down step by step and you may be surprised at just what you’re getting for your money.

By checking out the ‘Fresh Paint’ and ‘Step by Step’ sections of this web site, you’ll be able to see something of what’s involved in the custom painting of a few of the projects featured on this site. On average, most of the guitars painted here take roughly four to ten weeks to complete, some, depending on the complexity of the design may take even longer, and larger custom projects longer still.

When it comes to guitars, the average guitar paintwork regularly turned out by some of the larger and more commercially orientated guitar finishers is really not what it’s about here. I have a small scale specialist set up in place specifically for guitar work and finishing. Geared up specifically for producing very limited numbers of unique, highly detailed and extremely high quality hand finished guitars. That for me is really what guitar artwork in particular is all about.

Likewise with larger projects, whether it be a straight forward motorcycle petrol tank, or a multi panel custom paint job on a jetski, it’s the extra effort in the fine detail that hopefully makes the work done here stand out from the crowd.

Variables such as design work up and preparation time, the various painting stages, hand cut masking’s and with guitars the specialist finishing process, are all elements that can vary hugely from project to project depending on the design involved. The one common factor with all of these stages is that they all take time. Each of the stages outlined above are both time and labour intensive and this is where the bulk of the expense comes in. Other considerations such as the complexity and nature of the design being applied, the materials and techniques involved all reflect on the final price of any custom project. As a result, quoting ‘off the shelf’ prices for any custom paintwork is nigh on impossible.

Price Guidelines

Please Note

*I am currently concentrating on a number of private projects and so am taking very little new commision work on at present.*

All custom artwork is generally charged at a flat rate of £30 per hour taken to the nearest half hour either way, this includes all research, planning and preparation work for the project. Initial meetings or any initial discussions about the original design stages are not charged for, but any changes to the design once work is in progress may incur an extra charge. The cost of any additional preparation work found to be required once the job is started will be notified to the customer at the time, and may then added to the final amount due on completion of the job, depending on the extent and cost of the extra work.

I generally require a 30% deposit paid in advance to secure a time slot for your project. The outstanding balance must then be paid in full before the finished project will be returned to the customer. Please note, part or all of the deposit may be retained to pay for any time spent on, or for materials bought in specifically for that particular project, should for any reason the customer decide not to go ahead with it. Should any unforeseeable problems arise here that make the starting of a project impossible, then any deposit paid by the customer will obviously be returned in full.

I do discount my prices for Orcadian customers.

Initial Information Ideally Required.

If having read through page so far you now find yourself interested to find out more please feel free to contact me. I do generally try to reply to all enquiries within twenty four hours where possible, but even if this isn’t the case I will reply as soon as I can.

If you do contact me regarding a potential commission, it helps initially if you can include as much detailed information as possible about your particular project (with photographs if possible). Also when enquiring about custom artwork, please include any concept ideas, styles of work or reference material you may have for the artwork you’re looking to get done. This information enables me to get a feel for the kind of work your after prior to any serious planning discussions and helps me consider your project and give you a better estimate of the likely cost of the work.

I hope this page has been of some assistance to you.

If there is anything that I can help you with, or anything that you are unsure of as a result of the information on this page, please feel free to contact me.